The state funeral of the late Emperor of Japan which takes place to-day and to-morrow has aroused considerable interest, not only be cause of the reverence in which the late Emperor was held by his own jects, but also because of the ancient rites and ceremonies which will be observed. A number of customs which had fallen into disuse on the interment of Emperors under the Shogunate are to be revived, one of the most important being the burial in the imperial tomb of images known as Shinsha or " God Generals." These constitute a relic of the old days when retainers and slaves were buried alive in an upright position with the bodies of their masters, The ritual at the interment will follow strictly the ancient Shinto customs.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.